Things are trending toward it being the beginning of the end for Joel Embiid’s season. The 30-year-old has been unable to move past his lingering knee issues that have been bothersome all season. Embiid has most recently been ruled out for tonight’s matchup with the Chicago Bulls, with the Sixers beginning to shift their focus to alternative treatment options, per ESPN’s Shams Charania.
The 2022-23 MVP has only been able to suit up 19 total games this season and has not looked like himself when he has been on the floor. Embiid is averaging 23.8 points, 8.2 rebounds and 4.5 assists per game across his 30.2 minutes of action. While these are still impressive outputs by most players’ standards, it is well below the bar of expectations for the seven-time All-Star.
Most recently, Embiid was benched for the entirety of the fourth quarter in the Sixers’ previous loss to the Brooklyn Nets. He was limited to just 14 points, seven rebounds and five assists in 31 minutes, shooting 4-for-13 from the floor and 0-for-6 from beyond the three-point arc. Head coach Nick Nurse made it clear postgame that it was his decision not to bring Embiid back to the game, but it was obvious Philadelphia’s big man is not flashing a satisfactory level of mobility or trust in his own knee. Embiid himself has been open about these thoughts when addressing the media as well.
Injuries have been the biggest concern about Embiid since before he arrived in the NBA. The most recent problems appear to be stemming from the meniscus tear that he sustained last season, which limited him to 39 games and prevented him from having a chance at his second consecutive MVP award. Embiid returned to the floor at an accelerated rate to make a playoff push but, despite averaging 33.0 points, 10.8 rebounds and 5.7 assists in the playoffs, he did not look like the best version of himself. The Sixers were eliminated by the New York Knicks in six games in the opening round.
In the short term, it feels like the Sixers are accepting their fate of this disastrous season. They hold a record of 20-36 on the season and even if they were to win out for the remainder of the season, this would be the Sixers’ worst record since Embiid began playing for the team. Philadelphia is currently in 12th place in the Eastern Conference and it should be noted it will only keep its draft pick if it falls in the top six after the lottery, which may become the focus of the team. If it falls outside of this, the draft pick would be sent due to a trade initially centered around the Sixers getting off of Al Horford’s contract back in 2020.
In the long term, there are far more concerning questions the organization must face. Even considering the growth of Tyrese Maxey, the addition of Paul George or the potential of Jared McCain, the organization has built its foundation around Joel Embiid to compete for a championship now. Its superstar looks to be losing his internal battle with his body and signed a three-year, $192 million extension this past offseason that has not even begun yet.
For now, we know Embiid will be out for the matchup with the Bulls tonight, but don’t be surprised if he ultimately ends up being shut down for the remainder of the season. With the Sixers’ playoff chances nearly nonexistent, as they now have dropped to +550 odds of making the playoffs on DraftKings Sportsbook and are -1000 to miss, and with the draft pick implications in mind, expect the focus on competing to be scaled back moving forward. All priorities should be on taking whatever path is necessary to get Embiid as close to 100% as possible moving forward and the Sixers look to have finally accepted this reality.
